#42. Virginia Bass’s Odyssey: From Humboldt Politics to Heartfelt Legacies and Local Delights

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to 100% Humboldt podcast with my new best friend, Virginia Bass. Hi, Virginia.

Virginia Bass: Hi, how are you? It's nice, nice to be here.

Scott Hammond: It's nice to be here, yeah, with our main man, Nick, my, uh, my… I was gonna call him my protege. I'm his protege.

Virginia Bass: I see.

Scott Hammond: He has two th- two million podcasts to my, you'll be number 42 or something.

Virginia Bass: Wow, okay.

Scott Hammond: He's my hero.

Virginia Bass: You know, I was, I was gonna say, this is the first thing I've done public since I

Virginia Bass: left office.

Scott Hammond: Right. How long-

Virginia Bass: I mean, this is kinda like public.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: You know?

Scott Hammond: This is kind of public.

Virginia Bass: It's kind of public.

Scott Hammond: Kind of public. How long has it been since you left office?

Virginia Bass: I, I don't have the days counted, but it's like, a little over a year and a quarter-ish.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Do you miss it?

Virginia Bass: I do. I miss parts of it. Um, I miss the people. Um, I have to admit, I, I don't miss, uh, some of the crazy times and drama. I mean, I do, but I don't.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Virginia Bass: And they're going through some rough times right now, and it's-

Scott Hammond: Oh, drama

Virginia Bass: … a lot of hard work, but they've got some fun things happening, too, so.

Scott Hammond: Good.

Virginia Bass: I think I miss the fun, um, the excitement of, you know, new things happening, but-

Scott Hammond: Right. Right. You can observe them from the s- somewhere else now.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, pretty much. I have not watched a board meeting either.

Scott Hammond: Oh, really? Okay.

Virginia Bass: I, I won't let myself.

Scott Hammond: So your political caree- you were, you were, uh, b- uh, city ch- city coun- uh, hello.

Scott Hammond: It's, city council, and then mayor, and then, uh, supervisor.

Virginia Bass: Mayor.

Scott Hammond: Board of supervisor.

Virginia Bass: Yep.

Scott Hammond: How many terms in each?

Virginia Bass: Um, I did six years as city council, four years as mayor, so one term as a

Virginia Bass: mayor.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: And then, um, had the opportunity to run for supervisor, and did three there,

Virginia Bass: and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Virginia Bass: … I, I, you know, people say, "Why did you stop?" And, um, there's a couple different things. I think sometimes political people stay too long.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, you know, it's like the milk in the back of your refrigerator that kinda goes

Virginia Bass: bad.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Virginia Bass: After a while.

Scott Hammond: It does, yeah.

Virginia Bass: And so, you know, I wanted to be able to choose the time I left, and my mother had recently passed away back then, too, so-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … there was a lot on my plate.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Would I do, would I, you know, would I do the same thing now? I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Virginia Bass: But, but it's, uh, it's been an interesting, uh, re-entry type experience.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: I guess.

Scott Hammond: So back into pub- non-public life.

Virginia Bass: Non-public, I know.

Scott Hammond: Although, this is kind of public. So tell us the Virginia Bass story. How did you get here? I know you're, you are 100% Humboldt.

Virginia Bass: I am.

Scott Hammond: Went to Eureka High, and born in Eureka?

Virginia Bass: Yeah, I actually grew up in Myrtletown.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: So not too far from where we are today.

Scott Hammond: Eureka. Right.

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: Did you go to Worthington School?

Virginia Bass: No, I went to Lafayette.

Scott Hammond: Oh, hey.

Virginia Bass: You know, it's funny. Um, the kids just a few houses down, you know, went to Worthington. I had no idea who they were until we all went to junior high.

Virginia Bass: It's like-

Scott Hammond: That's funny

Virginia Bass: … that's a strange way to have things. Um, so it's like-

Scott Hammond: It's not that far away.

Virginia Bass: No, it's not. And it's a, it's a great neighborhood. There's a lot of really-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … good people who I still am in contact with. But, uh, you know, it was a, it was a nice, I guess you'd say quiet neighborhood that-

Scott Hammond: Oh, it's great over here

Virginia Bass: … well, there didn't used to be houses over a lot of, a lot of the area.

Scott Hammond: I also wanna interview Nick over here and go, "Hey, did you grow up in this neighborhood, too?" No. No, okay. No, but Eureka. But you're in Eureka.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We're in, yeah. The studio's in Myrtletown, so there's the connection.

Virginia Bass: So I've, I've moved, you know, I started in Myrtletown, kind of went over to Cutten for a while. Couple different places in Eureka, but-

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Virginia Bass: … I've never gone more than probably five miles away from here.

Virginia Bass: So-

Scott Hammond: So junior high, was that Lafayette, or was there-

Virginia Bass: Zane.

Scott Hammond: Zane, okay. Right.

Virginia Bass: I was a Falcon.

Scott Hammond: Oh, the Zane Falcons.

Virginia Bass: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Come on. And then the Eureka-

Virginia Bass: Logger

Scott Hammond: … Loggers.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Go Loggers.

Virginia Bass: So, so yeah, it's definitely, you know, I've never really thought about leaving seriously.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: What class did you graduate in?

Virginia Bass: 1980.

Scott Hammond: '80, okay.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: So, '78.

Virginia Bass: Which, where'd you go to school?

Scott Hammond: Uh, Sweetwater High School in National City, California. It's right over here on… Oh, wait. It's not even on this map. It's, uh, it's, it goes San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, Tijuana.

Virginia Bass: Ooh, you were-

Scott Hammond: So 15 minutes from the border. Um, real mixed race, lower middle income, feral hippie child. Although, not much of the hippie left up here.

Virginia Bass: I was gonna say-

Scott Hammond: It's more, mostly in here now

Virginia Bass: … I had, I was gonna say, really?

Virginia Bass: Okay.

Scott Hammond: No, uh, it was, the joke is that it's no joke. I was voted most beautiful hair.

Virginia Bass: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you can see it now. Anyway. Uh, not about me. This is about you.

Virginia Bass: It happens.

Scott Hammond: It happens.

Virginia Bass: But so, I mean, you know, 40-some years later.

Scott Hammond: So did you go right from Eureka High to Cal Poly?

Virginia Bass: I did.

Scott Hammond: Also known as Humboldt State.

Virginia Bass: Right.

Scott Hammond: In a day.

Virginia Bass: I stayed, I stayed here, um, well, one, because my boyfriend was here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, you know, you kind of, you think later, it's like, I'm not sure if that was the best reason to stay, but-

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Virginia Bass: And the family business was here.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Virginia Bass: The restaurant that, that I was in-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … for 30-some years.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: You wanna talk about that and O.H. for a minute?

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And then we'll get, then we'll go to Humboldt, and then you can-

Virginia Bass: Sounds good.

Scott Hammond: All right. So O.H. Bass, he was legendary, right?

Virginia Bass: Well, I think so. And a lot of people, it, it's funny, people still remember his

Virginia Bass: name.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, we, how do I put it? Uh, he started, he had restaurants that went back to the '50s. Um-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Virginia Bass: … I've got some old, um, pictures, and so he had multiple different places. And I remember in 1966, uh, is when they built the one that, that, I remember, I was five, you know? And, um, that's where we were for, I don't know, 40 years.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Maybe almost 50-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Virginia Bass: … before we closed it. And, um, I still have fundraisers based on O.H.'s night. In fact, I've got one coming up in June.

Scott Hammond: I saw that.

Virginia Bass: Um, yeah. So it's, it's, it's, people still remember it-

Scott Hammond: Super cool

Virginia Bass: … which is, which is really nice when you think about it, 'cause a lot of restaurants, um-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … wouldn't have that. I mean, you have a few, there's a few, um, that people still follow, and I won't say who, but there's somebody that has this idea of trying to get someone to open a restaurant that features, um, some of the old time-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Virginia Bass: … favorites of the different places.

Scott Hammond: So like Roy's or whatever.

Virginia Bass: Maybe.

Scott Hammond: Maybe.

Virginia Bass: And, and-

Scott Hammond: We're not saying.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. But I'm going, you know, I don't think opening a restaurant right now, it's, it's, I'd run the other direction.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Virginia Bass: It's too hard.

Scott Hammond: So could I take a shot at re- recounting what O- O.H.'s Townhouse was?

Virginia Bass: Sure.

Scott Hammond: So long-term legacy restaurant, where you'd go and you could pick your steak, right?

Virginia Bass: Yep.

Scott Hammond: You could pick your meat.

Virginia Bass: Yep, exactly.

Scott Hammond: Which is, who does that anymore?And, um, so we were in college. Joanie and I went, so we were really broke, so we had to go on some sort of a coupon or something. But I w- I remember we had a couple of really nice meals there, and the meat was delicious, and-

Virginia Bass: I probably waited on you.

Scott Hammond: Could have, yeah.

Virginia Bass: You just didn't remember me.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. How many years did you work there?

Virginia Bass: 30, over 30. 31-ish.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: Something like that.

Scott Hammond: So you literally-

Virginia Bass: I mean, you, when you start when you're, when you start when you're like 15 or 14 and, you know, in a family business, that's-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … that is it. And we s- it sold in 2008. We closed it, oh yeah, we closed it on Leap Year Day-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Virginia Bass: … 2008.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: So it's really only been closed four years, if you think about it that way. Instead of 16.

Scott Hammond: Instead of 16. So every, it was kind of one of those land- landmark for sure places that everybody'd go to.

Virginia Bass: And it was really basic and simple on the outside and simple on the

Virginia Bass: inside, but-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … the food is what counted. And I'd like to think, um, I still have a lot of customers and former employees that we keep in touch with,

Virginia Bass: and-

Scott Hammond: That's-

Virginia Bass: … it's a family.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: You know?

Scott Hammond: Small town and c- great restaurant.

Virginia Bass: And I don't know if you, you probably knew my dad was on the board of supervisors,

Virginia Bass: too.

Scott Hammond: I did know that.

Virginia Bass: Back in the day.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Virginia Bass: He was nuts. I don't know what he thought. I, I remember being in, I was, I was in like sixth grade when all this happened, and I thought it was the stupidest job anybody could want. Look what happened.

Scott Hammond: Right. Right.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And I thought insurance was for chumps, like my dad. Dumb insurance job. What, who would do that? Sell life insurance, that's crazy. And 10 years as a State Farm agent on Labor Day.

Virginia Bass: Wow.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, got a later start, but that's okay.

Virginia Bass: I know the feeling about later starts.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. It's okay. It's okay to have race restarts and later starts and that kind of thing, so. Uh, so did you actually manage the store or did you

Scott Hammond: only-

Virginia Bass: Yeah, no, I pretty much, you know, at the time my, um, husband, who was my boyfriend in Ju- in, well, high school-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … um, we had both worked there, uh, f- for years. Even after we were no longer married, we worked together 18 years.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: Um, yeah, so we did, I did everything other than I did not cook steaks. You did, you did not want me to cook a steak, but I could do pretty much everything else-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Virginia Bass: … waitressing, the bookkeeping, bartending, janitorial, whatever, you know.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: That's what happens in a small family business.

Scott Hammond: True.

Virginia Bass: You do it all.

Scott Hammond: And was it a dinner house only or did lunches?

Virginia Bass: I used to do lunches, but not after, I mean, when I was

Virginia Bass: younger.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: I mean, really young. Um, yeah. No, mostly, you know, dinner house, banquets.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Stuff like that.

Scott Hammond: You know, it's funny, where I'm from in National City, you had Cafe El Juan, which was famous Mexican food, and they're gone. And you had all these, John Bull, which was an English restaurant. You had all these places that were landmark places that you grew up around. So it's funny how food and restaurants become kinda part of the idea. So Larrupin Cafe up in Trinidad. Oh, by the way, I have a map. That's up here, Larrupin. It's really good. It's far away-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … but it's killer food.

Virginia Bass: Well, and you know, but and you remember it.

Virginia Bass: Um, I went-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … driving up there. There used to be, um, where Larrupin was, used to be, I believe it used to be Colonial Inn.

Scott Hammond: Correct, yeah.

Virginia Bass: And I think I went to a prom there. You know? And I went driving around there. Um, now that I spend a lot of time in McKinleyville, I-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … you know, every once in a while go driving and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … look at, remind myself of how beautiful parts of this county are-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … that I just don't see on a regular basis.

Scott Hammond: We got to get reminded during COVID. We'd go on our date night, go from, uh, Dows Prairie up to, uh, Huda Point or Camel Rock, and throw open the van, and here comes the picnic, and here's the sunset, and it's, oh, that's right, Humboldt County's magical.

Virginia Bass: It, it definitely can be.

Scott Hammond: Literally five minutes from McKinleyville, and it's like, "What? Where are we? W- wanted to move to, to w- Redding? Are you kidding? Who would go?"

Virginia Bass: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-

Scott Hammond: I love you, Redding, but-

Virginia Bass: I shouldn't have, uh, crinkled my nose, but yeah, it's like, it's too hot.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I want to go to Chico, where it's 187 degrees in the shade. No, no thank you. Pass.

Virginia Bass: You see these freckles?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And you see the, the very light skin?

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I burn and I, yeah, hot weather was-

Scott Hammond: Humboldt's perfect. It was 75 in Santa Rosa Monday on the drive back, and that was plenty. That was, that felt like just about the right amount of heat.

Virginia Bass: It's almost too warm here today.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: You know?

Scott Hammond: By the way, just for the record, today is, let's just look. We'll, we'll look. I think it's 73. What do you, what do you think, Nick?

Virginia Bass: It was 77 earlier.

Scott Hammond: Was it? Okay.

Virginia Bass: Depends where you are.

Scott Hammond: Right now in Blue Lake it's 76. Uh, 70, whoa, 71. That's a total heat wave here.

Scott Hammond: Which-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … people go, "That makes no sense at all. Come on, Scott, that's crazy." But yeah, once you sit out in that-

Virginia Bass: And the humidity.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Right.

Virginia Bass: Sounds good.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Anyway.

Scott Hammond: I mean, McKinleyville's 68, 69 is like, psst, perfect. We live up in Dows Prairie. Right, so you, you told me you work at the airport.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. I started working for SkyWest, and, um, it's quite the experience. I'm, I do just about, um, eh, well, just about everything. You know, it's, it's kind of a, it says agent-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … but in Humboldt County, it's so small, everybody's, um, they say cross utilize, so you work in all the different positions, and it's been quite the learning experience. I'd like to tell people there's a reason not to pack too much. It's like I've been lifting, I've had to lift things that are like, I'm not kidding when I say 90 pounds. They, they get the dark purple tag, you know.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Virginia Bass: It's just-

Scott Hammond: Right, the heavy ones

Virginia Bass: … it's, it's, um-

Scott Hammond: What do people put in there? Rice?

Scott Hammond: Bricks?

Virginia Bass: It just sounds really bad. Bodies? I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: You know, they, I mean, there's some, and-

Scott Hammond: Weed?

Virginia Bass: You know, uh, the weirdest thing is you can smell it, and I didn't-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Virginia Bass: … yeah, I'm going, "What is that doing?" Isn't this like a facility? Yeah, I, I'm-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … I, I must just be too, too, uh, law-abiding.

Scott Hammond: I would think they would, I would think that TSA would smell weed and have to break

Scott Hammond: it open and-

Virginia Bass: You know?

Scott Hammond: … take, take your weed.

Virginia Bass: It's like, I have no idea.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: But, um, but it's been a, a great learning experience. Good people working out there.

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … a lot of, but it's different, you know. It's getting up and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … doing in the morning some days and, uh, and-I think the latest I was there was 3:30 AM-

Scott Hammond: Ouch

Virginia Bass: … when a-

Scott Hammond: Oh, with a flight coming?

Virginia Bass: … a plane came in. Yeah, yeah, really ultra late. So, uh, you know, but I- I've learned so much.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: I mean, I was a traveler before, and now-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … it's like I've kind of reconsidered, it's like, oh, wait, I don't need to pack all that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Um, you know, and just looking at things differently and how they track baggage and how they really… I mean, there's a system.

Virginia Bass: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … so it's been, it's been very enlightening and a really great exercise program. I don't have to join a gym.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: Like just-

Scott Hammond: 'Cause you're lifting your

Virginia Bass: I'm lifting, I'm exercising.

Virginia Bass: It's like I'm trying to look at it that way.

Scott Hammond: So top three travel tips for us mild travelers.

Virginia Bass: Oh, my goodness. And-

Scott Hammond: So pack, pack light.

Virginia Bass: Pack, pack light.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: You know, I realize that I pack way too much.

Virginia Bass: Um, I'd say when it tells you to, when it says be at the airport 45 minutes prior-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … it's a serious, it, that's… How do I put this?

Scott Hammond: 35 for us?

Virginia Bass: No, it's 45.

Scott Hammond: That's-

Virginia Bass: It's still-

Scott Hammond: … easy, right? I mean, it should be.

Virginia Bass: Well, you'd think, and you-

Scott Hammond: And people run in at 10 minutes.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, 'cause, uh, back in the day… How long have you lived in Humboldt County?

Scott Hammond: Uh, 43 years.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, yeah. So back in the day, you know how the airport was. I mean, if a plane was leaving-

Scott Hammond: Uh

Virginia Bass: … and you, and you got here l- l- if you showed up late, they would

Virginia Bass: stop.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: You know? And a- and, and there's times I know one person, who I won't use their name on the air, but, um, you know, just the stories. You know, and yes, we are a small community, but it's not just, you know, these are the, the rules. There's a real reason for it, 'cause, uh, people don't understand how those bags… You know, they don't magically get to the plane, let me just tell you that.

Scott Hammond: Right. Right.

Virginia Bass: And they don't get loaded by-

Scott Hammond: Takes a minute

Virginia Bass: … themselves.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Oh, yeah. And, um, and so, you know, when people do come in late, I think we've done our best to make sure they still get it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: But I, I would, that would be one of the tips. It's like I know it seems really… And, you know, like we shouldn't have to 'cause we're a small place. It's, it's really important.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I would, if there's one thing I'd say, it's, like, be kind to the people who work

Virginia Bass: there.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: And, um, and that's the other thing too, is, um, people… I can understand, um, I get, I've gotten upset more times than I can count over things going sideways with flights and, and the people who are working there are literally just trying to do their best.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: And sometimes their hands are tied. But it's a really… It's been very interesting, 'cause no day-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … is the same. Not many days go exactly as planned.

Scott Hammond: Who have you seen? Anybody, any rock and roll stars-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … you know, there was that one-

Virginia Bass: … came through?

Scott Hammond: There was that one rapper guy. This is how I am. Um, it's a rapper guy, he was here.

Virginia Bass: Nick probably knows-

Scott Hammond: Black asthma

Virginia Bass: … the rapper guy.

Scott Hammond: It- I think it was Tech N9ne.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, that was him. So-

Scott Hammond: Was he nice?

Virginia Bass: Got to say-

Scott Hammond: Was he cool?

Virginia Bass: Yeah, he was nice.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Um, but, you know, so there's, um, and I'm sure there's more. I, I've realized that I'm in the plane so much, you know, doing the work in there, that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … I don't see people come and go as often. So now I'm, you know… I like to see. Everyone looks at me, they can't figure… They look at me like, "I know you."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wait.

Virginia Bass: "What are you doing here?"

Scott Hammond: You are the-

Virginia Bass: So

Scott Hammond: … president of Humboldt County.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, something like that.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: I love it. You know, do what you love. And so be there early, a good hour-

Virginia Bass: Yeah, be there

Scott Hammond: … for, for our air-

Virginia Bass: Yeah. I mean, just to be, just be kind, um-

Scott Hammond: Pack light and be-

Virginia Bass: Pack light

Scott Hammond: … and be nice.

Virginia Bass: And I think, and be nice, or try to be understanding.

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … I think the, some of the things, I, I think you probably heard about the, the TSA scare last week.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Tell us about that.

Virginia Bass: That was interesting.

Scott Hammond: What happened?

Virginia Bass: Well, that's a really good question.

Scott Hammond: We were out of town, and I just read, Jenny was reading it-

Virginia Bass: I'm trying to think

Scott Hammond: … on my Facebook. I thought-

Virginia Bass: How much can I say? Actually, um-

Scott Hammond: It's pretty public

Virginia Bass: … I think what I… Yeah. I think, you know, what happens is, you know, TSA not only looks at your hand, you know, your stuff you carry on.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: They go, you know, there's, everything goes through detecting equipment,

Virginia Bass: right?

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Virginia Bass: And, um, you know, sometimes things are seen. Uh, the timing was just kinda weird on this one, um, because we had to bring a plane back because there was this, you know, kind of a concern over something that

Virginia Bass: was seen.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: You know? And-

Scott Hammond: So the plane was already in the air?

Virginia Bass: No, it was… But, you know, um, you, you push it out, and it's getting ready to ta- take off. But-

Scott Hammond: Oh, and then they pulled it in.

Virginia Bass: And so, and so it's, um, and, you know, it makes sense. I mean, it's just being safe, right? And then, um, the pilot, uh, he's, he was great. He actually had flown 11 years in Afghanistan.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: And just moved to United States, like, three years ago. You know, he wanted to be ultra careful also. Um, so, you know, he ended up having to offload people, and you've got two, another plane that was down. And I was unloading the luggage, and all of a sudden, I hear they're evacuating. And I'm going-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Virginia Bass: … "What's happening?"

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah.

Virginia Bass: And so, um, you know, it's, it was interesting. Um, like, for three-plus hours we were all over, um, sequestered, kinda past-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … by the parking lot. Um, it was interesting 'cause towards the end you saw people talking with each other. It's kinda like being marooned on an island or something, and you-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … start making your, your friends-

Scott Hammond: Connections

Virginia Bass: … and talking. But, um, it, it was, uh, you know, in the end it was just, uh, something that looked suspicious. But, you know, when you see something-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … you, you know, they have to take precautions.

Scott Hammond: Was the residue on a computer or a laptop or something?

Virginia Bass: Yeah, something. And you have wires show. It's, it's like-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Virginia Bass: … you'd be amazed at the bad things people do. And the, the things, you know, like s- say, um, what you have to do for the safety of an airplane. It's like every plane at the end of the day is absolutely, totally searched. I mean-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … up, pull up the, you know, the seats.

Scott Hammond: Everything.

Virginia Bass: Everything. Um, s- to make it more, to make sure that it, there's no-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Virginia Bass: … no issues. So, you know, there's a lot of, um, a lot of careful thought, um, maybe.

Scott Hammond: It's good.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. But, but it's interesting. It was, uh, the, the plane, you know, the people who were on the plane, I ended up, uh, one of the guys used to work for me at the restaurants.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: So we got caught up. Ryan Sundberg was there.

Scott Hammond: Sure.Small world after-

Virginia Bass: You told me to text him when the flight took off. It's like, "Okay, I'll take care of that." And, um, so it was, it was interesting, but it was one of those things you couldn't plan for.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: And, um, and some people were not happy, which I can understand.

Scott Hammond: Well, that disrupted travel, but better than 9/11.

Virginia Bass: Well, and yeah, and then the flight, you know, the, um, the pilot was great. He's, he's like, "We're still gonna go," you know, and they took… I actually had a friend on there that,

Virginia Bass: you know, they had a wonderful time on their cruise they went to. Every- it all worked out fine. It just was kind of a-

Scott Hammond: Delayed

Virginia Bass: … kind of delayed. Yeah. But, um, so I mean, things, things like that are, uh, I haven't had a boring day there.

Scott Hammond: They say that TSA, I, I think I've read this or somebody was telling me that, uh, you'd be surprised what people try to run through the TSA stuff, like in their

Scott Hammond: bags.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Here's a knife. Some guy had a gun. It's like, what, what are you even thinking, man? What are you doing with that .45 in there?

Virginia Bass: Yeah. You, you do kinda wonder and, you know, back where I'm at s- right now I'm still, I'm mostly just with, like, luggage, and I'm not in, like, where I'm checking in people and seeing all the stuff that-

Scott Hammond: You're the rook- you're the rookie.

Virginia Bass: I am the rookie.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Virginia Bass: But, um, you gotta start somewhere.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you do.

Virginia Bass: I'm also, I think I'm like, like, some people's… I'm of the age of, how to say this? Say, plus some of my coworkers are probably, like, could be my grandchildren.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: It's like I think about it, it's like, oh-

Scott Hammond: Wait

Virginia Bass: … yeah, whatever

Scott Hammond: … this is weird.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. But-

Scott Hammond: That's all right

Virginia Bass: … yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's great.

Virginia Bass: No, it's fun. It's, it's definitely, uh, different than I've ever done before.

Scott Hammond: I'd imagine every day would be different in that the tension level and people half asleep, I mean, coming in at f- you know, 5:00 and you can't see straight and all that.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Virginia Bass: It's, uh, but yeah, so it wasn't something I expected to do, but I had some friends who've retired-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … elsewhere that did that, and so it's, uh, and there are some benefits to it.

Scott Hammond: Sure. Yeah, we had a couple friends work up there. So, uh, Eureka High, and then you went to Humboldt State.

Virginia Bass: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Direct, did you take a break?

Virginia Bass: No, I went direct. I actually, my, um, my father-in-law at the time was a, was a professor out there. I went as an English major.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: And then I switched to business because it was faster.

Scott Hammond: Good, good call.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. Um, but you know, even as the business, it didn't really translate to the restaurant business, but-

Scott Hammond: Right. Right

Virginia Bass: … yeah, I went through. I, and I mean, it took me six years because I, I got married, I had my first child, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. How many kids?

Virginia Bass: … worked. I have two.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Virginia Bass: Two, two sons,

Virginia Bass: 40 and 37.

Scott Hammond: Right. Right. We have a 40 all the way down to a 20, which is-

Virginia Bass: Oh, my

Scott Hammond: … wild stuff.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: As you know, we have nine kids. Uh, oops, that's 10. Nine.

Virginia Bass: Wow.

Scott Hammond: 20- 40 to 20.

Virginia Bass: Well-

Scott Hammond: And we just found out-

Virginia Bass: I, my life was easy, comparatively speaking.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Right. We, uh, we just found out we have baby, grandbaby number 11 on the way for Christmas.

Virginia Bass: Oh, my.

Scott Hammond: Little Christmas present in Boise, Idaho.

Virginia Bass: I was born on Christmas.

Scott Hammond: Really?

Virginia Bass: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Merry Chri- a merry Christmas and a happy birthday.

Virginia Bass: Yes, and always remember to wrap that baby's birthday pre- or the child as he grows up, wrap the birthday present in birthday paper. Do not wrap it in Christmas paper.

Scott Hammond: Amen. Yeah. I relate. I, my birthday's January 2nd, which is-

Virginia Bass: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … kind of the second worst day because everybody, the party's over, New Year's is over, New Year's Eve is over, New Year's Day is over.

Virginia Bass: Right.

Scott Hammond: And here's your Christmas and your birthday present, and you're going, "Wait, what?"

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So anyway, what a, what a horrible trial I have at my birthday. So, uh, what, so you studied business. Business, great program up there.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. No, and, um, the teachers were great. I enjoyed myself. I was not the typical student that-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … got to go out and stuff. I, I-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … kept working, and I was married, so I didn't have, um, what some might consider the, the typical-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … college experience, but-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Let's talk about the protests up there for a minute.

Scott Hammond: No, I'm kid-

Virginia Bass: Huh?

Scott Hammond: I don't think we-

Virginia Bass: I don't-

Scott Hammond: But there's no protests?

Virginia Bass: Yeah. No. What?

Scott Hammond: No, I, I'm, I'm not sure if there's any win in going there, but I was looking today. They got a lot of the spray paint off-

Virginia Bass: That's good. That-

Scott Hammond: … the buildings and all

Virginia Bass: … I think, you know, without going too far into protest stuff, I think the vandalism and, was just like, that's, there's some things that just… I remember it's like, okay, it didn't have to be-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … going to that, but-

Scott Hammond: You know, when you vandalize Columbia University from where I sit in Eureka or McKinleyville, I'm going, "That sucks. That's just, that's too bad."

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But when it's your alma mater and hometown-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … and they close down everybody and everything, and then there's 100 cops from all over the world, and then there's no graduation for a really good friend, Tina, who we love, and

Scott Hammond: she's gotta-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … they gotta, they almost didn't do a graduation.

Scott Hammond: It's like-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … so I guess we're going there. So enough, enough said, so.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, no, it's, it's just, you know, you can't guess how things are gonna play out or that something's gonna start happening, and you know, I think all-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … all the people can do is do the best they can with, as things

Virginia Bass: unfold-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … and try to be prepared, but you, how, how…

Virginia Bass: It's like you, you can try to be prepared for everything, and there's still gonna be something that comes along.

Scott Hammond: It's called life, yeah, sadly. So I was prepared to be an oceanography major, and I became a liberal arts major 'ca- 'cause that feral hippie child thing didn't play well with science. So, hey, recreation administration. Dad, did you major in recess? Well, kinda, smart-alec.

Virginia Bass: So did you… No, I'm gonna ask you. So do you, were you, did you teach, or what did you do with alma mater?

Scott Hammond: No, I, um, thank you for asking.

Virginia Bass: Yes.

Scott Hammond: For… I, uh, I actually worked at St. Mary's School first year half-time and-

Virginia Bass: Okay

Scott Hammond: … and Downers Prairie School half-time as a rec leader with kids.

Virginia Bass: Okay.

Scott Hammond: And the Catholic school was really, um, God's training for, for Scott to become a, a dad because they had K through 12, I'm, sorry, K through 8, and turns out that teenagers are quite evil. They're, they're nefarious. They're,

Scott Hammond: they're… I have a bunch of names for them, and I probably won't repeat them all. So it would, but it taught me,

Scott Hammond: To be patient and to, you know, don't give everybody an F, which I did.

Scott Hammond: And parents-

Virginia Bass: What?

Scott Hammond: Parents… Yeah, D's and F's, man. Screw with me. I'm right out of college. I know everything.

Scott Hammond: And so, um-

Virginia Bass: Ouch

Scott Hammond: … the Catholic parents and then the, the private school parents, there are a lot of private, you know, people with money that sent their kids, 'cause they didn't want them to go to Arcadia High or wherever-

Virginia Bass: Right

Scott Hammond: … sent them to school there.

Scott Hammond: And so, um, they just didn't appreciate that, 'cause that's gonna ruin your GPA when you get to, uh, Riverside, Cal State whatever, Fullerton.

Scott Hammond: So it was a, it was a source of bitterness, and I had to learn through it, and it was good training to go, "Oh, this is…

Scott Hammond: You could, could probably not be everybody's friend,

Scott Hammond: and, uh, you don't have to give everybody a D either."

Virginia Bass: You know, you can, if you don't, if you wanna try to not be everybody's friend, you can go into politics.

Scott Hammond: That'd be a really-

Virginia Bass: That works, that really works well.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I've seen that.

Virginia Bass: Everyone likes you when you have a restaurant, by the way.

Scott Hammond: Right. That's kind of the connection.

Virginia Bass: But then you mix the two, it's kinda like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, it's, it, it's, and it's interesting talk- we talked to Steve Madrone here, and, um, I, I find him delightful. I don't necessarily agree with him on, on-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … on a lot, but that's okay. And it's, and that's f- and that's the cool thing, and that's one of the threads. The first one is the joke, it's called Cal Poly Humboldt. Everybody get, corrects that. The other is there is a, um, a feeling of separation out on the earth right now of people dividing up and being nasty and, and continuing in that practice.

Scott Hammond: And, um, a couple people that have come on have really enlightened me and, and said, "Hey," uh, Dennis Rail from Las Bagels, different

Scott Hammond: ones, "Hey, it's okay. I could totally differ with this rancher I'm on the board with, but we're also connected, and we can find common ground all

Scott Hammond: the time."

Virginia Bass: Well, and I think that's, um, that's an important thing and unfortunately in politics at times it's not so much the people that are doing it, but it's the people around them.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: It's like you can't be friends with that person, or you can't-

Scott Hammond: I hear you.

Virginia Bass: Um, yeah, 'cause I, I mean, Steve and I have our own, uh, you know, let's just say that we are doing this a lot. I mean, 'cause I, we had a history that went back a long time where he used to come and was not always really happy to or nice to the board. That was a long time ago.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, and you know, what ended up is, you know, we just have different approaches to things, and one day we kinda had a, a

Virginia Bass: discussion-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Virginia Bass: … um, just the two of us, and it was, it was really a frank

Virginia Bass: discussion.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, and I was maybe too,

Virginia Bass: maybe t- abrupt. Um, but I think it was good because-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … you know, it opened I'm, I became more aware of who he is as just his individual person. I may not agree with his decisions. I may not always agree-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … with how he approaches something. But, uh, i- it was one of those where, you know, you try to establish, well, a relationship when you think there's just, just no way. But it, it still works, you know? And, and, um, so I, I don't think there's anybody that I can think of off the top of my head that… Well, maybe one, but they weren't they don't live here anymore.

Virginia Bass: But, uh-

Scott Hammond: Interesting.

Virginia Bass: That I would-

Scott Hammond: Cool

Virginia Bass: … would, I, you know, just would not be able to sit down and talk with and

Virginia Bass: not-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … feel comfortable. It's like, that's one of the things I loved about the job is being able to meet with people who perceive me as being one way, but after they get to know you, they're like, "Oh, okay, you're not-"

Scott Hammond: You're a human being.

Virginia Bass: "… you're not bad."

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like that. I wish we had that, more of that out there. Um, so let's talk about the county for a minute.

Scott Hammond: Um, what do you see… Let's just do a past, present, future. So what do you see a- as our kinda looking in the rear view mirror behind us issues going into the present? What,

Scott Hammond: what do y-

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: Not necessarily that we've overcome, but w- maybe things that, that are, are still persistent.

Virginia Bass: Boy, you know, I don't know which way to even go with this. I mean, I think part of what's happened is, you know, we had things that were

Virginia Bass: great ideas-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … that maybe didn't work out the way we had planned, say, say cannabis and

Virginia Bass: how-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … everyone is tr- we were all trying to figure out how to do the right thing.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And then of course, we've seen the challenges and issues, and that's part of the financial problems, right?

Scott Hammond: Boom and, boom and bust on that.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And, you know, same with, like, the, the, um, the tax that, uh, which one was it? The 4%? I don't know which we call it, but it was the sales tax and, you know, and it went to a lot of different agencies, and 'cause we were helping other agencies, you know, multiple. And, uh, you know, that source has since stopped creating and, and so it's like, it's not going as much, I don't think, into the community as it was. So, you know, I'm not sure how you set those things up differently. It's like looking in the rear view mirror. It's like, well-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Virginia Bass: … could I have done it differently? I wouldn't be able s- I wouldn't know

Virginia Bass: how. Um, trying to think. Um, you know, I've been missing for a while as far as not paying a lot of, uh, I shouldn't say this. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to all the little intricacies of what's hap-

Scott Hammond: You don't have to anymore.

Virginia Bass: No. Every once in a while, I'll, I'll, I'll follow an issue.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: But, um, you know, I mean, there, there's some things that are still out there

Virginia Bass: and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … impossible to tackle.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Like, whether you talk homelessness.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: I mean, housing is, is still an issue and-

Scott Hammond: And healthcare

Virginia Bass: … oh, healthcare.

Scott Hammond: Steve brought up the three Hs, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I never thought of it that year.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The healthcare issue.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. It's, uh… I still hear from people now, and then it's not because they're talking to me because of, I have anything to do with government. It's more like I'm talking to people who are about my age, and we're all getting older and needing to go places to get things done.

Scott Hammond: Right. Nick, I have to go somewhere right now and-

Scott Hammond: … get something done.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Well, I had two new hips at Stanford 10 years ago.

Virginia Bass: Oh, cool.

Scott Hammond: Same day.It was pretty rad

Virginia Bass: You, you were the hippest guy around

Scott Hammond: I was very hip for a minute, and then I- my k- kids go, "Dad, you used to be cool, huh?" I go, "Yeah, then you guys came along and ruined me." So that kind of family joke anyway.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. That's-

Scott Hammond: So yeah, cannabis boom and bust and trying… Everybody's trying to make nice and try to figure out the right way to tax it and get everybody legal, and now it's kinda like weird. I'd say it's like-

Virginia Bass: I, I, I look back, and I, I keep thinking about when we first, when we first did… I think Mark Lovelace was, Mark Lovelace was still on the board. I mean, it was, it seemed like a huge moment, you know, when we actually were moving forward-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … um, and with a lot of good intentions.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Not but, I think not realizing, you know, part of what happened I, I think is the state had maybe did some things that we thought they weren't going to, like allowing the very large grows down south.

Scott Hammond: Okay

Virginia Bass: And, um, those basically, um, the mega grows.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Supply and demand-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … kind of direct all that.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, so.

Scott Hammond: Where are those, in the valley?

Virginia Bass: Uh, Santa Barbara area.

Scott Hammond: Huh

Virginia Bass: Then there are-

Scott Hammond: So they're just giant barns full of weed.

Virginia Bass: Not just barns, I mean, just-

Scott Hammond: Open fields

Virginia Bass: … fields. O-

Scott Hammond: Crazy

Virginia Bass: … open fields and, uh, my nephew's a firefighter down there, and, you know what I mean, you could… It's like if people think it smells

Virginia Bass: bad-

Scott Hammond: Here

Virginia Bass: … you know, in certain places here-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … it, it sounds like it's pretty bad there.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Virginia Bass: But, um,

Virginia Bass: yeah, so-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … it's, it's kinda like what's the next-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … you know, and right now there's some exciting things happening though. There's, on the peninsula, you know-

Scott Hammond: Let's talk about those

Virginia Bass: … whether it's Nordic or-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … I'm m- I'm, I'm sad I'm not there now for the, the fun stuff that's-

Scott Hammond: The aqua farms? Yeah

Virginia Bass: … finally starting to happen. Yeah, so.

Scott Hammond: They got that permit okayed or whatever that is to bring in seawater and do it.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, for Nordic. Yeah. That was exciting-

Scott Hammond: That's cool

Virginia Bass: … with the Coastal Commission. Um-

Scott Hammond: That's a big step, right?

Virginia Bass: I think so.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: You know, um, getting… And, and the fact that the Coastal Commission staff, um, was in favor of it was a good thing.

Virginia Bass: And, and so-

Scott Hammond: It's a plus

Virginia Bass: … so that's hopefully good.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, and then of course all the wind energy, and there's a lot of, I think there's so many unknowns and just little flags, red flags that come up or red, you know-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … issues.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And, uh, so it's, it'll be… It's interesting watching.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Um.

Scott Hammond: It's funny how things look good on paper. We talk about that at home.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That, that idea, that conversation, that looked great on paper. And then the execution, I mean, that's just… It must have a name. That's l- that's just the life lesson that sometimes, you know, the Edsel was a really cool car, and then it was crap.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You know? It's just like it didn't go well and, and who knows why. You know, Hamm's Beer w- was a really killer, uh, ad campaign.

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: And it didn't… Or Oly it was. Olympia Beer.

Virginia Bass: Okay.

Scott Hammond: It's lousy beer, but I don't know that. The, uh- I should… I don't have any idea. But it was clever, and it never sold anything. Alka-Seltzer, plop, plop, fizz, fizz. Remember that?

Virginia Bass: Fizz. What a relief it is, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Didn't sell Alka-Seltzer. So-

Virginia Bass: It didn't?

Scott Hammond: Go figure. Yeah. It, it, y- it's memorable, but it didn't move product. So it's kind of w- fun- life's f- life's funny in such ways.

Scott Hammond: So-

Virginia Bass: It is

Scott Hammond: … um, question for you, maybe a little bit more direct. What do you think your top three contributions were politically in terms of things that maybe you collaborated on or that you were spearheading that you, you look back and, "Hey, I did three cool things that I really liked"?

Virginia Bass: I think the one that stands out the most, and then when I explain it to people, it's, it's, it's, it's total, um, I guess you'd say geek language, you know, 'cause no one else would think it's exciting in this whole world except me. But, um, one of the things, you know, trying to get housing built was, is really challenging, you know, especially, um, the affordable housing. And if you're an affordable, ugh, I can't even say it, affordable housing

Virginia Bass: developer, um, the state has you go through just so many different processes, and every year something changes. So, like, when you're trying to get these different, um, not loans but, uh, programs, the rules would just keep changing. And so there was, um, this was in regards to Samoa, uh, the Samoa townhomes over there, which actually this also helped the, um, the

Virginia Bass: veterans',

Virginia Bass: uh, uh, housing that was built on 5th Street. But what had happened is there was a change in the rules at the state and, um, you know, instead of a cash match, it was this… This is why I said this sounds so geeky. But instead of a cash match, places, other places were using vouchers, housing vouchers

Virginia Bass: as-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Virginia Bass: … a cash match. And our housing vouchers in Humboldt County were people-based.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: So we, um, I said, "Well, how have we changed this process?"

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Virginia Bass: That, that was quite a, it was, um, I had to lock two people in the room, in a room to have a conversation for about a, uh, a day and we said, "Okay, we can do this." Anyhow.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Ended up going through the process to change that whole, um, the way that voucher system worked in Humboldt County-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … which allowed them to then use that value as a cash match and ended up making those two projects go over the finish line. And to me, to me, those really, you know, those are, well, hard to explain and people are, you know, are probably trying to go, "What did she just say?"

Scott Hammond: What's-

Virginia Bass: But, um-

Scott Hammond: But it got it done.

Virginia Bass: But it, you know, it did and, and it's one of those things that was small. I think one of the other things I did that, you know, you do something that, that, you step in something-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … and you have to fix it. Um, you know, one of those moments

Virginia Bass: was the, I had a planning commissioner who unfortunately had a, an issue with the city of Eureka. There was a property. The person was being sued.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Virginia Bass: I didn't realize that, and so I got a lot of really negative,

Virginia Bass: um-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Virginia Bass: … feedback right at election time. It was such a fun time to have-

Scott Hammond: Oh, boy

Virginia Bass: … to go through that. Um, but what it ended up doing is allowed me to be creative and find a way to find a, you know, get the solution and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … eventually, you know-That housing was built. So sometimes some of the worst things that happened to me ended up being one of the best things that happened.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: So I, I think, you know, if I brought anything, part of what I brought to the county was I would like to think an open ears and a comfortable person for people to talk to.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And I, I don't think I've… I don't think anyone ever felt very, you know, threatened by me.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I feel like people could come to me and talk to me. Um, but yeah, so minor, minor down in those little really nerdy details, but-

Scott Hammond: That's cool. I like it.

Virginia Bass: But.

Scott Hammond: I think Joanie would want me to ask the next question. What, what was it like to be a woman in politics?

Virginia Bass: You know, I, I was, I didn't notice it being a problem. Maybe, uh, during campaigning, I think there was a little bit more, uh, judgmental-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … you know, views of women 'cause women are seen as, are seen as, you know, harsh. And when we-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … when we say something, you know, people use different words for, you know, if, if you s- I don't, well, I'm not gonna say it on air, but, you know, if a guy is cranky, they say one thing, and when a woman is-

Scott Hammond: He's a jerk

Virginia Bass: … it's a whole different thing. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: He's a jerk and she's not a jerk.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, yeah. It's a little, little s- more strong than that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: And, um, but, you know, even at the state level when I was-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … with the state, uh, Association of Counties and I was president there-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … um, I never felt as a woman that, that, uh, there was… I think 'cause there are so many women nowadays.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Virginia Bass: Um, it's, uh, I never felt that I was at a disadvantage.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And I never felt I had an unfair advantage either.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Yeah. Fair. We have a female pastor. We love Bethany Sh- and Jason. They're great.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And that's a whole different deal, too.

Scott Hammond: That's-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … kinda pioneer territory still, strangely. Not totally, but just different and great.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, you know, it's, uh, things are constantly changing, so.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Bethany. Hi, Jason. So yeah, I, I love it. So let's talk about your legacy. And I guess we sort, sorta just did, but what, um… Actually, before we do that and we wrap, I'd like to do a little quiz. So we have a quiz, and there's a-

Virginia Bass: Oh, no

Scott Hammond: … there's a small prize available for you. Ladies and gentlemen, I, I should have like a gra-

Virginia Bass: Oh, no

Scott Hammond: … do we have a graphic that can come up? There it is. It's audio.

Virginia Bass: Okay.

Scott Hammond: So Virginia Bass, uh, your favorite, and we're just gonna go food 'cause you're… Would you necessarily consider yourself a foodie after-

Virginia Bass: I, you know, probably.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I mean, I'm, I love food.

Scott Hammond: And I guess you're, I mean, and you're not in politics, so you can kind of pick out your favorite place, so best salad bar in town.

Virginia Bass: My house.

Scott Hammond: Your house. Okay.

Scott Hammond: Good answer.

Scott Hammond: Salad bar.

Virginia Bass: I don't get… You know, this is sad. I don't get out much.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Uh, I mean-

Virginia Bass: This is so sad.

Scott Hammond: A lot of people since COVID. Uh, how about meat? Who's got the best meat in town? You can't say your house.

Virginia Bass: Um, um, well, actually, though. Can I tell you? Well, okay, I won't say what I was gonna say. Um, I almost never order a steak out or meat out-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … because I'm usually disappointed because I do like what I do better at

Virginia Bass: home.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: However, um, you know, Double A seems to be a lot of people's, uh, favorites, and

Virginia Bass: they have-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Virginia Bass: … a great burger.

Scott Hammond: Okay. How about a, uh, good one? How about a donut?

Virginia Bass: Happy Donuts.

Scott Hammond: Happy? Okay.

Virginia Bass: They were closed the other day, though.

Scott Hammond: Were they? That's-

Virginia Bass: I was worried

Scott Hammond: … she's, like, never closed.

Virginia Bass: I know. Kinda worries me. Now, th- those apple fritters, I could just, there's a

Virginia Bass: die for.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's big one. Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Oh, man.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: And he- heat 'em up, yeah.

Scott Hammond: And they're good for you. It's really weird. Actually, eat them.

Virginia Bass: They're good for me. Okay.

Scott Hammond: They're diet food. I lose weight.

Scott Hammond: W- what? Um, how about a coffee house?

Virginia Bass: Ramon's Harrison.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: I have a seat there with my name on it.

Scott Hammond: Really?

Virginia Bass: Almost.

Scott Hammond: Oh, they're great.

Virginia Bass: Well-

Scott Hammond: What's, what's Barrett's last name, the owner?

Virginia Bass: Meyer, I think.

Scott Hammond: Meyer, I think.

Virginia Bass: I think, I think so. I mean, uh, they were in business back when, um-

Scott Hammond: Oh, they've been around

Virginia Bass: … when we were back in f- the Restaurant Association.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Virginia Bass: And I think they had the Op- Rally Bo- tique. I mean, the restaurant.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Virginia Bass: I don't know. I was still in high school, you know? I mean, they-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Virginia Bass: … they're just timeless, so.

Scott Hammond: Oh, they'd make a thing called a mochaccino that was really good. They named kind of their own drink, and it was psh.

Virginia Bass: It was a beautiful, I had a beautiful one this morning. I took a picture of it.

Scott Hammond: Really?

Virginia Bass: I'm one of those, my, my Facebook reminded me I did a picture last year.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty-

Virginia Bass: Eight, no, eight years ago.

Scott Hammond: Pretty nerdy.

Virginia Bass: It is.

Scott Hammond: You gotta s- take a picture.

Virginia Bass: 'Cause she did this beautiful heart, and then she, she made faces, a face in it. I've never seen that.

Virginia Bass: Anyway.

Scott Hammond: Barrett herself or just the-

Virginia Bass: No, one of their, their staff.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Virginia Bass: I mean, it was an, they were, like, an artist. I'll show you.

Scott Hammond: Show you this.

Virginia Bass: Okay. Yes. Ramon's.

Scott Hammond: You're holding up.

Virginia Bass: I mean, I like, I, I like to go other places occasionally.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: But Ramon's is my go-to.

Scott Hammond: Delicious. Okay. How about dessert? Who, who has good pies or dessert out there?

Virginia Bass: Oh, my.

Scott Hammond: We don't really have a dessert place per se, do we? Or we used to have Bomboniere's when we were growing.

Virginia Bass: I know. And there's, I haven't been down… Yeah, you know, that's a, the, I'm stumped. I make a great rum cake.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: So there you go.

Scott Hammond: Rum cake's good. Uh, how about Chinese?

Virginia Bass: Well, it's not Chinese. I, I really like to go to Curry Leaf.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And I don't want, I don't know what Curry Leaf is.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Virginia Bass: It's a, it's a little bit of everything.

Scott Hammond: It is. It's kinda fusion, yeah. Have you been to the new rooftop sushi joint?

Virginia Bass: No, I've, I haven't yet.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Crashed it the other night. It was great. Don't tell anybody, but here's what happened.

Virginia Bass: You went into the-

Scott Hammond: And Joanie and I were there, and we're in line, and the guy has g- he's got a list, and he's going, "Well, are you on the list?" I said, "I don't know. Scott Hammond," and check, check it out. And he's, he goes, "You don't appear to be here." And I go, "Could you look again?" I don't know what…

Scott Hammond: He's g-

Virginia Bass: And now you're doing this

Scott Hammond: … I kinda went there. And he goes, "Just, just go. Just go up there." And so it was the, um, Adams Construction party that they, initial party, and it, it was fun. Had a little bit of champagne and hung out and saw a bunch of friends, saw Greg Foster and everybody.

Virginia Bass: You know, it's, they're doing some great work. Uh, they're everywhere. I don't even know who the, these guys are.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Virginia Bass: The Adams Construction, but they're everywhere.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Virginia Bass: I'm, I'm, I'm really impressed.

Scott Hammond: It's beautiful, and the view up there is just un- unbelievable, so,

Scott Hammond: um, well, cool. Uh, let's talk about your, uh, tombstone for a minute and your legacy

Scott Hammond: and- You're going-

Virginia Bass: Uh, excuse me

Scott Hammond: … what? What?

Virginia Bass: I'm not quite ready for that.

Scott Hammond: What, what are you hoping… Yeah, I don't think anybody is. Are we, what do you wanna be remembered for?

Virginia Bass: I'm really boring, I guess. But I, I think I'd like to be remembered as somebody who basically was kind and, and worked to try to move people forward with… I mean, I'm not a person that's really into conflict,

Virginia Bass: so-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … politics was a strange place for me.

Scott Hammond: So you're a peacemaker, yeah.

Virginia Bass: Um, you know, I, I, I like to believe, and I, I try that. I'm not always successful, but, you know, I'm a big believer, like I said, even the story with, uh, Supervisor M- Madrone and myself, you know, I think… I think there's something to be said for not being angry and being able to find the commonalities-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … you know, and have those bind you together versus the differences.

Scott Hammond: Especially politics, I would think.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. Uh, and you know, it's… But yeah, I know that sounds really boring, so I, I just, I just kinda try to make the path easier for everybody-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … and life. That sounds… I'm so boring.

Scott Hammond: And you're a mom and a grandma too, right?

Virginia Bass: I am.

Scott Hammond: How many grandkids?

Virginia Bass: I have three. I have a thir- almost 13-year-old grandson.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: And I have two grandsons here.

Virginia Bass: One is four.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Virginia Bass: That's, um, I got Branson and Cooper that are here.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Virginia Bass: T-ball. Playing T-ball now.

Scott Hammond: T-ball's big. Pretty boring-

Virginia Bass: It is so-

Scott Hammond: … to be a part of, but it's-

Virginia Bass: It's so funny watching the kids lay on the ground and play with the dirt, you know?

Scott Hammond: Get up. Stand up. It's first base.

Virginia Bass: I know. Don't run that way.

Scott Hammond: And then soccer's the next thing where they just run in a pack.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. I know.

Scott Hammond: And they do the pack thing.

Virginia Bass: And it's fun. My, one of my sons, uh, Jared, lives here. I don't know if anyone… If you, are you familiar with, uh, RMI?

Scott Hammond: Construction?

Virginia Bass: No. Uh, Redwood Marine. Uh-

Scott Hammond: Oh yeah, absolutely

Virginia Bass: … like I said, so my son is, he's one of the, he's the, one of the red-bearded guys there, but he's really into hunting and-

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Virginia Bass: … you know, he's a part under the indoor shooting range.

Scott Hammond: Works for the, he works for the main guy, whose name is-

Virginia Bass: Dan.

Scott Hammond: Dan, yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. And the indoor shooting range, I shouldn't be probably saying that, but it is

Virginia Bass: super cool.

Scott Hammond: Really?

Virginia Bass: And it's a safe place to go.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Sure. Do they provide guns too?

Virginia Bass: They do.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that'd be fun.

Virginia Bass: And you know, you have to, there's the, the appropriate, you know, safeguards put

Virginia Bass: into place.

Scott Hammond: For sure.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, my, my son took me one day.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Quite interesting.

Scott Hammond: It's fun to shoot. We went up to Medford-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … and to their, um, they have an, a range out by the, uh, stock, stock car races. And gosh, we, about 10 of us, so we did about, gosh, 10,000 rounds.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It was, like, amazing, and everybody brought every gun, and it was like, "Here, Dad, try this one."

Virginia Bass: It's kinda cool 'cause theirs is indoors-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Virginia Bass: … too, and, um-

Scott Hammond: It's more controlled.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. And it's, yeah, so, so it's nice that I have at least one of my kids living, living here, you know?

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Virginia Bass: Just he's got… Brittany's his wife. She works with Caltrans. She's a wonderful-

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Virginia Bass: She's one of those, um, I don't know how they do it these days. They not only work and, you know what I mean? I mean, obviously we worked, but this, it's a different level now, and the, the, the number of things you take your kids to-

Scott Hammond: Right

Virginia Bass: … and the different, you know, I just don't know how they do it.

Scott Hammond: It's amazing. I watch my daughter drag three little guys around and come in with a diaper bag and bagels, and, and she goes, "I don't know how Mom did it with nine kids."

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And I go, "Do you have your other arm with you? 'Cause you need it for this thing that you're…" And I go, "Let me help you with those bagels."

Virginia Bass: Nine kids. I'm still, hmm.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. At, at nine kids you have other kids helping, so there's, there's

Scott Hammond: built-in stuff. Do we wanna talk about Matthew in the Middle at all?

Scott Hammond: Is that-

Virginia Bass: We can

Scott Hammond: … do you wanna-

Virginia Bass: Uh

Scott Hammond: … I mean, just, just wanna hon- we can if we have-

Virginia Bass: Yeah, actually

Scott Hammond: … if we have to.

Virginia Bass: No, it's, it, no, it is, it is, it's, it's really interesting because,

Virginia Bass: um, it was kind of a bone of contention often-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … uh, especially when I was, um, running for office and stuff.

Virginia Bass: So, you know, now that I have been able to kind of back away, I, I'm mostly a

Virginia Bass: proofreader.

Virginia Bass: Um, and-

Scott Hammond: So you're, you're part of the operation now

Virginia Bass: … I'm part of it, but you know, and every once in a while I will comment on, you know, I will say, you know, he gives a lot of feedback, and people are from out of, you know, out of the area even.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: But yeah, no, we don't always, I don't always necessarily agree, or I don't necessarily agree with maybe how something is said.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: But I think he does tons of research, and, um, the one he did, you know, without going too far, um, a couple weeks ago with, um, on the protest.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: The work he put into that, I mean, and I mean, the, the facts and everything that he had put in there-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … um, it's really interesting that he's getting a lot of really positive feedback, but it's of both, I don't wanna say from both, quote, "sides"-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … but it is. You know? From, from people who, I won't use their name, but one person wrote him and said, "I never, I never agree with you. I agree with you on this one. You did a good job."

Scott Hammond: Right. Cool.

Virginia Bass: So, so it's, you know, every once in a while-

Scott Hammond: Victory

Virginia Bass: … um, but yeah, it's like I'm a, I'm a person that, that likes to smooth things over, and he might be a little bit more of a agitator.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's okay. I-

Virginia Bass: Right

Scott Hammond: … so, so Matt Owens' a writer. Matthew in the Middle, it's on, uh, is it on Local and Times Standard?

Virginia Bass: I, it used to be Local, but he's not on Local anymore, but Times Standard, and then he puts his on Facebook.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: But then people send it to other people and-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Virginia Bass: … yeah, so it's-

Scott Hammond: And share it, yeah. Now he's been Times Standard for a long time. That's our daily paper. Eureka, it's 150 years old, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Remember newspapers, folks?

Virginia Bass: Hey, I still get, I still get it every morning.

Virginia Bass: I'm-

Scott Hammond: It's only 500 bucks a year. It's c-

Virginia Bass: It's crazy that, yeah

Scott Hammond: … it, it's wild. Uh, they wanted to mail us one a day late and charge us, 'cause you're so used to, like, it was 60 bucks a year, and now it's like 360, and then you get… Anyway, I don't wanna complain. I'm glad that there's a newspaper.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. That, that it, but yeah, it's a…

Scott Hammond: We're talking about the Eureka Reporter today.

Virginia Bass: It's so funny-

Scott Hammond: What a great paper that was

Virginia Bass: … I just thought about. Well, they had a really good, they had a lot of, um, I remember when they do, like, the what's going on in town section.

Scott Hammond: Oh, nice.

Virginia Bass: And they'd have the collage with all the different pictures and different events.

Scott Hammond: The people.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, they did a great job.

Virginia Bass: That was fun. That was, was that Judy Palassi?

Scott Hammond: Oh, Judy ran that-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … for Rob, and so we had, we had two daily papers at one time, which was amazing and for those who like that. I remember my boss came, I was at Cable TV. He came in from Texas. He goes-I've seen a lot of newspaper. This is an amazing local paper. It's, everything's quality about it.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And, you know, and so, uh, a non-sustainable model for two, you know, the most media per capita in the United States, one of the top most infiltrated per, per capita radio, TV, print, and still is in America.

Scott Hammond: So anyway.

Virginia Bass: Nice. So how did you get into this?

Scott Hammond: How did… Well, that guy there.

Virginia Bass: I was like-

Scott Hammond: He interviewed me about Humboldt Heroes. So, you know, we do the veterans.

Virginia Bass: Yes. Right.

Scott Hammond: We honor a vet once a month at Scott Hammond State Farm, and so, um, we've done it for seven years. Every one of them is magical and different and, and wonderful and, you know, sometimes we get people at the nick of time before they pass.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. I-

Scott Hammond: And we get to honor them, and it's really special. And, and we don't, um… It's just very modest. And, you know, I was interviewed in, uh, by Nick, but before he, this guy, he goes, "Well, you wanna go national or statewide?" I go, "Nope, I'd wreck it." Why would you do that? That would be… The, the modestness in this would take the special part of humanity.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, 'cause I mean, you, I remember being on the sidewalk.

Scott Hammond: We do it all the time.

Virginia Bass: And basically, yeah, just-

Scott Hammond: Yep, we've done it one time in, yeah, two times at Door's now.

Scott Hammond: I, I s-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I started to brag about, hey, it's never been rained out, and of course, this

Scott Hammond: winter, it, it rained. So anyway, so Nick had me on, and he suggested, "Hey, you know, my, my daughter does a podcast

Scott Hammond: in Medford." And I said, "Hey, um, why don't we do this?" And, and my Pe- my friend Peter Stark calls me an archivist. So there you are with- … Mary Keane and Officer Brian Stevens and Dennis Raiel and Peter.

Virginia Bass: All good people.

Scott Hammond: Oh, great. Oh.

Virginia Bass: I know Wes Chesbro, I saw he was on there too.

Scott Hammond: Wes did a killer job, and you know, and people that are making a really good difference. And so, uh, I think you, you're super good company. So, uh, what is, what does it say on your tombstone? What would you like it to say?

Virginia Bass: Man, yeah, gee, these are deep questions. I, you know, I haven't thought that far.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Okay.

Virginia Bass: So I, you know, and I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Sit on that for a minute.

Virginia Bass: I will.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause I have two other easier questions.

Scott Hammond: They're not-

Virginia Bass: Thank you. I was like, "What's the meaning of life?" Is that-

Scott Hammond: Yeah, right. What, what do you want? I want world peace.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I would like to ask, who is Virginia Bass?

Virginia Bass: I don't know if that's easier. Um, who is Virginia Bass? I, I don't even know how to answer that. I feel like I'm failing my test.

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: No, you're doing great

Virginia Bass: … you know, I'm just, you know, just somebody who enjoys people and likes to be with people and-

Scott Hammond: Good

Virginia Bass: … seem to put myself in situations where that's what I'm doing.

Virginia Bass: And I had a year of being very bored and out of my mind, not working. And so-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … now I decided to find a place that I can…

Scott Hammond: Gonna become a pilot for United.

Virginia Bass: No, don't think so. You know, my sister was a pilot though.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: See, she's more exciting than me. She flew 777s for FedEx.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Virginia Bass: She's a pilot. Yeah, no, seriously.

Scott Hammond: That's rad.

Virginia Bass: See, I told you she's a lot more exciting than me.

Scott Hammond: So she's a f- a pilot pilot.

Virginia Bass: Pilot pilot, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Still?

Virginia Bass: No. No, she retired a couple of years ago.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Was she military prior to that?

Virginia Bass: Nope. No.

Scott Hammond: Interesting.

Virginia Bass: Okay, the secret is when, um, she graduated, she got the credit card from my parents.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Went to UC Santa Barbara. Hope she's not listening.

Virginia Bass: And, um-

Scott Hammond: She is

Virginia Bass: … let's just say she took her, I think she'd know I s- would say this. She took her flight lessons. I mean, she did everything and, you know, why not,

Virginia Bass: right?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And then let's just say that by the time I graduated, I did not get a credit card.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: But-

Scott Hammond: Sorry.

Virginia Bass: No, so, no, but she, um, she's like-

Scott Hammond: The pilot got it.

Virginia Bass: No, it's okay. No, she does, she's done amazing things. She actually flo-, uh, flew helicopters also.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Virginia Bass: And, um, yeah, she was one of the first female pilots with FedEx when they started, uh, really expanding their-

Scott Hammond: Wow, okay.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. So yeah, so she's, she's a, she's a,

Virginia Bass: you know-

Scott Hammond: Big time.

Virginia Bass: She is

Scott Hammond: … 777s.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So the, the other question that's quite easy, who are you?

Virginia Bass: Yeah, so far I haven't answered who I am.

Scott Hammond: If, so Jo- Jodi's father is, was, uh, a ma- Tom was an amazing guy. So a lot of AA people and alcoholics have these pithy things like, you know, "Your mind is a terrible place. Never go there alone." Who are you? So he said the two hardest questions in life, who are you and what do you want? So what would you like, what would you want for Humboldt if you could have your way?

Virginia Bass: What do I want for Humboldt?

Scott Hammond: What would you, what do you want?

Virginia Bass: I mean, other than, you know-

Scott Hammond: What do you want?

Virginia Bass: You know, it'd be great that, you know, you could do the, we could actually, there'd be money to do the things that would make life-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … you know, better, whether it's the housing-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … as simple as the roads. Roads really impact people.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: Um, but I think it also, I'd like to see less division.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Virginia Bass: And instead of seeing less, I think we're seeing more. And to me, I mean, if anything that I am would be like a, a peacekeeper-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … or somebody who that's what I, I prefer, and maybe I just don't like conflict, but-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … I mean, I was in the world where that's kind of what I got a lot of.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: But, um, you know, I, I wish that we could get back to a place where maybe we were never there, but where it just didn't feel so angry and divided. But the entire count- country is going through similar things. But I thought, I thought of us as being, we've always been different,

Virginia Bass: right?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And it's like, we should be able to-

Scott Hammond: Weather it.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: And, um, you know, I f- I, I feel sad when, when I, I see-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Virginia Bass: … the divisions. And I just know it's normal, but it's like, I wanna fix it, but I don't know

Virginia Bass: how.

Scott Hammond: Right. Right.

Virginia Bass: Especially anymore. Um, I-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Virginia Bass: … like I said, I've removed myself from that, that, um, that place of the world. So how do I do it now from where I am? I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's, I think it's the question for all of us. What do you, what do you, what do you want out there? And what are you gonna do to functionally contribute to the solution, not the problem?

Virginia Bass: Maybe I can come back next year, and I'll think about these other questions.

Scott Hammond: No.

Virginia Bass: And no, but I, we can, but, you know, it'd be interesting. It's like, is it gonna be different? Is it gonna be worse?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: I hope not.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I think what I've always enjoyed about you, if I may pay a compliment-

Virginia Bass: Y- yeah, sure, go ahead.

Scott Hammond: … is, y- you know, as public figure, and kind of knowing you lightly in other circles, always approachable, always lovely, and always kind.

Scott Hammond: Just-

Virginia Bass: Thank you

Scott Hammond: … the real you, and, "Hey, hi."

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You know, and Joni likes you, and that's a good t- that's a good test when Joni likes me.

Virginia Bass: Yeah. Oh, good. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Sometimes.

Virginia Bass: It's-

Scott Hammond: Hi, Joni. I love you.

Virginia Bass: I think I have to say, being in customer service and being a waitress-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … those are skills. You know Julie Fulkerson-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Virginia Bass: … really. I, I-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … I love Julie. She's such a, a great-

Scott Hammond: She's been on the show.

Virginia Bass: Yeah, and you know, we were t- we were talking. She started as a waitress also.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Virginia Bass: And we both believe that it is the best training ground for almost any job you can have, whether even in politics.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: So, uh, you know. I, yeah, I've gotten to know her quite, quite well and, uh, I really, really enjoy her.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: But when she said that, it's like,

Virginia Bass: yeah, it is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: She's great. Good to see her. Good to see you. Thanks for being on the show.

Virginia Bass: Well, well, thanks. And, you know, um, I'll, I'll, maybe I'll come back again sometime. I'll fill you in on, on, uh, what it's really like to

Virginia Bass: –

Scott Hammond: What the tombstone's gonna say

Virginia Bass: … before… And, and if I survive, maybe, you know, uh, let you know more what it's like being in the pit of a plane, you know.

Scott Hammond: Absolutely, yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, yeah. Well, thanks for being here.

Virginia Bass: My new life.

Scott Hammond: Tell, tell Matt I said hi.

Virginia Bass: I will. I will.

Scott Hammond: And probably see you at the Carter House.

Virginia Bass: I will. I hope so.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Kind of our haunt. We-

Virginia Bass: Especially when, when Jeff's playing.

Scott Hammond: When Jeff's playing. Friday nights, Jeff Smoller, folks, from, like, 4:30, 5 o'clock

Scott Hammond: to-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … whatever.

Virginia Bass: It's, and he, he doesn't play too loud. He's just perfect background music.

Scott Hammond: No. Jeff Smoller at jeffsmoller.com. I, I don't know. Um, anything you wanna plug bef- any, uh, you wanna plug your, uh, your event?

Virginia Bass: You know, actually I do have.

Scott Hammond: You go ahead.

Virginia Bass: I haven't had an OH's Night events for different fundraisers, and I've done a couple for Salvation Army. There's actually one that's coming up on June 8th. It's a little bit different.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Virginia Bass: Um, it is actually, uh, Brian Papstein s-

Scott Hammond: Sure. Talk show

Virginia Bass: … somehow, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: Um-

Scott Hammond: Hey, Brian

Virginia Bass: … and I've known Brian, hi, Brian, for a very long time. We, I mean, he grew up in the Myrtle Town area, too. But I've, I've agreed to help with a fundraiser for-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Virginia Bass: … the roof that's leaking like a sieve at Sacred Heart Church. So, so part of that is, um, is a little bit different, 'cause normally I'll pick a different cause. But since he asked and, and, uh, known him a long time, so it'll be

Virginia Bass: fun.

Scott Hammond: That, is he Catholic?

Virginia Bass: I would s-

Scott Hammond: Maybe

Virginia Bass: … I, he goes there, so.

Scott Hammond: Like-

Virginia Bass: I don't ask a lot-

Scott Hammond: Likely

Virginia Bass: … yeah. I don't ask a lot of questions, but you know, he's, he, he was l- looking

Virginia Bass: for, um-

Scott Hammond: Support

Virginia Bass: … for his, and, and well, and he's also, you know, we talk about the restaurant and different restaurants.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Virginia Bass: The old restaurants. And so, so yeah, so that's coming up, but it's, um, you know, it's open to the public, and hopefully we'll have, we usually have about 100 people at this point.

Scott Hammond: I think Brian would be a great podcast guest, 'cause he's the first p-

Scott Hammond: he's the-

Virginia Bass: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … pioneer Humboldt podcaster from 200 years ago. I mean, he's-

Virginia Bass: And he looks great for his age, right?

Virginia Bass: 200.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, he's, he's got my same haircut.

Virginia Bass: Oh, he's-

Scott Hammond: We were actually at Humboldt together.

Virginia Bass: Oh, really?

Scott Hammond: Yeah, he played basketball 100 years ago, and so.

Virginia Bass: I think he's a couple years old- he was a couple years older than me.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Virginia Bass: So.

Scott Hammond: Cal, I'm sorry, Cal Poly. Anyway.

Virginia Bass: You know, I've been told you can still call it Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: I think you can call it what, you know what you're talking about, so he went to

Scott Hammond: Humboldt.

Virginia Bass: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, okay. Cool. Well, thanks for being on the show.

Virginia Bass: Oh, well, thanks for the opportunity.

Scott Hammond: All right. Have a great day, and, uh-

Virginia Bass: You too

Scott Hammond: … well, you ca- please come back.

Virginia Bass: I will.

Scott Hammond: All right. Thanks, Virginia.

Virginia Bass: All right. Thanks.

Scott Hammond: Bye.